Fibincr-gear fob depth-mines



'1 M iv ii 5!. H 111M 32 I l J. HUBER.

FIRING GEAR FOR DEPTH MINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. 1918.

I Z9 Z6 Z 0/9 2/ I I J5 I PatmltcdSept. 2, 1919.,

\ place by JAMES HUBER, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FIRING-GEAR FOR DEPTH-MINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

Application filed May 8, 1918. Serial N 0. 233,294.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES HUBER, a citizen of Switzerland, residing atPhiladelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in F iring-Gears forDepth-Mines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact de scription of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a firing gear for depth mines.

'- The primary object of the invention resides in the provision of afiring gear of the same general character as that illustratcd, describedand claimed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 216,816, filedFebruary 12, 1918, and wherein the proper amount of water to cause therupturing of the diaphragm which protects the detonator operatingmechanism is admitted only after the gear has reached the proper depthfor i 4 5 The casting 1 is'provided with firing the mine.

A further object of the invention resides in providing a gear'whereinthe depth at which the diaphragm is ruptured maybe adjusted at the willof the operator before the mine is launched.

With these and other objects inview, such as will appear as thedescription progresses, my invention comprises the-combination andarrangement of parts as set forth in and falling within the scope of theappended claims. J

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a firing gear, constructed in accordancewith my invention; I

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view;

Fig. 3 is a similar view taken at right angles to Fig. 2; and I Fig. 4is a fragmentary detail.-

The embodiment of the invention disclosed in the drawing, includes acasting 1 which is adapted to be attached to the minein the usual mannerand which carries the detonator guide tube 2. A piston 3 is slidablymounted in this tube 2 and is normally lorated at the upper end thereof.Depending from the piston 3 is a sleeve 4: which is provided between itsends with an annular recess 5. A detonator carrier 6 is located withinthe sleeve 4 and is maintained in balls 7, the balls being carried by'an annular cage 8, which is located between detonator will be mounted,tight, but so ,tion of the barrel.

the carrier and the innerI wall of the sleeve 4. It will be noted on aninspection of the drawing that the cage 8 extends to the lower end ofthe guide tube 2 and is secured thereto at 9. The balls 7 are adapted toride upon the inner face of the sleeve 4, but fit in a recess 10 in thecarrier 6. So long as the balls are located in the constricted portionof the sleeve'l, the detonator carrier'and detonator will be rigid withthe cage 8 and thus the held retracted from the firing pin. When, i isdepressed sufliciently to bring the balls 7 in alinement with theannuiarrecess .5, the balls will be permitted to move outwardly in the cage andconsequently release the det-- onator carrier. Upon the release of thedetonator carrier, the detonator will be projected downwardly forciblyby a spring 11, which is located between the iston 3 however, the piston.3.

and the'carrier 6, and is placed un er com pression by the downwardmovement of the former in a manner which will later appear.

verse tapered chamber 12, in which a tapered barrel '13 is located, thebarrel being held tightly in said 14, which passes through a cap 15 andinto one end of the barrel. A spring '16 is disposed between the head ofthe screw 14 and the cap 15, so as to render the joint between thebarrel and the chamber lllWlllCll it. is

as to permit the rota- The barrel 12 is provided with an inlet opening17 with which a plurality of radial channels 18 of various sizescommunicate. These channels are adapted upon the rotation oflthebarrel13, to be brought .into alinement with a passage 19 formed in the wallof the chamber 12 and adapted to communicate with any one of a number ofradial bores 20, which latter bores a" transrecess by means of a screwto the diameters of the bores and are held in i place by collars 22.Disposed between these collars and the diap'hragms are washers 21 whichhave perforatlons 21 therein, through which the water may have access tothe dlaphragms. The aggregate cross sectional area of the perforations21" in each washer is approximately equal. to the cross sectional areaof the channel 18, through I water into the firing gear.

to a piston 27. This piston vided with a plurality which the waterpasses to the particular diaphragm. Thus an additional protection forthe diaphragms is afforded and an adjacent explosion will be positivelyrevented from affecting the diaphragms. passage 23 extends from thebores 20 to an annular recess 24:, the latter being formed adjacent tothe inner end of the barrel 13 and communicating with the piston 3through an opening 25 in the casting 1. "The passage 19 alsocommunicates with an opening 26 at the upper side of the chamber 12through which passage the water may have access 27 is mounted in ahousing 28 extending from the upper end of the casting 1 and is normallyheld in its lowermost position by a, coil spring 29, which bears againstthe piston at its lower end and bears'a'gainst the upper end of thehousing at its other end.

The outer face of the barrel 13 is proof designations 30, one. being inalinement with each of the channels18-and each indicating the depth atwhich the mine will be exploded by the entrance of a predeterminedquantity of A separate designation. 31 is provided which, when alinedwith a corresponding mark 32 on the face of the casting 1, will indicatethat none"of the channels 18 are in communication with r the passage 19,and consequently that the mine will be safe from explosion.

Before the mine is launched the barrel 13' will be. turned untilthefproper channel 18 communicates with tosay, if it is desired to havethe mine explode at 250 feet, for instance, the barrel will beturneduntil the designation 250 feet alines with the mark 32 on the face ofthe casting 1. At this time the corresponding channel 18 willcommunicate with the passage 19. This channel is of such .diame ter thatthe space within the housing 28 will be filled with water and the piston27 will be in its raised position only after the mine has reached thedepth of 250 feet. By rotating the 'barrel the desired channel may bebrought into active relation with the passage 17 and the mine thus setto explode at any of the various depths.

After the mine is launched the 'water will enter through the opening 17,the channel 18 and the passage 19. As the mine travels downwardly thewater will gradually fill thehousing 28 and that portion of the casting1 to which it'has access, being excluded from the bores 20, however, bythe diaphragm which is in operative position. When the mine reaches theultimate depth for which it is set, the piston 27 will have been movedupwardly against the action of the spring or the air in the housing 28which acts as a cushion, so that the pressure of the water will thenrupture the dia the annular recess to force the of'the diaphragm 21 willa particular water nism, the passage 19; that is phragm 21 and willenter the port 20, from which it will pass through the channel 23 andthe opening 25 to the piston 3. The pressure of the water will move thepiston 3 downwardly against the action of the spring 11, the detonatorcarrier 6 remaining stationary during this initial movement of thepiston 3, and the spring 11 being put under compression. When the balls7 reach 5' they will be permitted to move outwardly and release the dotonator carrier 6, which will be projected detonator against the firingpin by the action of the spring 11 and the air compressed in the housing28.

Inasmuch as the piston 27 is free to move upwardly, any temporary excessof pressure'caused, for instance, by the explosion of a previouslylaunched mine, will be taken up by the piston and thus the rupturing beprevented until the mine has reached the proper depth.

While I have illustrated and described embodiment of my invention, it isto be understood that various changes in the details of construction maybe made without departing from the spirit of the invention or exceedingthe scope of the claims.

What I claim is 1. In a firing gear for depth mines, the combinationwith a water-pressure-operated detonator, of a diaphragm for excludingthe from the detonator actuating mechaand means for permittin thecontinuous inflow of water to the iaphragm, said means being adjustableto vary of flow; 2. In a firing gear .for depth mines, the

combination with a water-pressure-operated detonator, of awater-receiving chamber associated therewith, a frangible diaphragmdisposed between the chamber and detonator actuating mechanism, andadjustable means for permitting the continuous inflow of water to thechamber at such a rate that the chamber will be filled in apredetermined time during the sinking of the mine.

- 3. In a firing gear for depth mines, the i combination with a-water-pressure-operated detonator, of a water-receiving chamberassociated therewith, a frangible diaphragmdisposed between the chamberand detonator actuating mechanism, and means for permitting thecontinuous inflow of water to the chamber at such a rate that thechamber will be filled in a predetermined time during the sinking of themine, said means being adjustable to vary the rate 4. In a firing gearfor depth mines, the combination with a water-pressure-operateddetonator, of a water-receiving chamber associated therewith, and afrangible diaphragm disposed between the chamber and the detonatoractuating mechanism, the gear,

having a plurality of water inlet channels of various sizes adapted tobe separately and selectively brought into communication with thewater-receiving chamber.

5. In a firing gear for depth mines, the combination with awater-pressure-operated detonator, of a water receiving chamberassociated therewith, a frangible diaphragm disposed between the chamberand the detonator actuating mechanism, the gear having a plurality ofwater inlet channels of various sizes adapted to be separately andselectively brought into communication with the water-receiving chamber,and means for varying the size of the chamber during the inflow of thewater.

6,111 a firing gear for depth mines, the combination with awater-pressure-operated detonator, of a water-receiving chamber, afrangible diaphragm disposed between the chamber and the detonatoractuating mechanism, means for admitting water to the chamber at variousrates of flow, and means for absorbing the excessive water pressurecaused by an external increase of pressure to prevent the rupturing ofthe diaphragm before the chamber is completely filled with water.

7. In a firing gear for depth mines, the combination with awater-pressure-operated detonator, of a water-receiving chamberassociated therewith, a series of frangible diaphragms of variousresistances adapted to be separately and selectively arranged toseparate the chamber and the detonator actuating mechanism, and meansfor permitting the continuous inflow of water into the chamber at such arate during the sinking of the mine that the chamber will be completelyfilled when the mine reaches such a depth that the operative diaphragmwill be ruptured by the water pressure at such depth.

8. In a firing gear for depth mines, the combination with awater-pressure-operated detonator, of a water-receiving chamberassociated therewith, a barrel disposed between the ,chamber and thedetonator actuating mechanism, and a series of diaphragms of variousresistances mounted in said barrel and adapted to be separately andselectively moved to separate the chamber and the detonator actuatingmechanism, said barrel having also a plurality of channels of varioussizes adapted to be selectively brought into communication with thewaterreceiving chamber, one of said channels being associated with eachof said diaphragms. 1

9. In a firing gear for depth mines, the combination with awater-pressure-operated detonator, of a water-receiving chamberassociated therewith, a barrel disposed between the chamber and thedetonator actuat mechanism, a series of diaphragms of variousresistances mounted insaid barrel and adapted to be separately andselectively moved to separate the chamber and the detonator actuatingmechanism, said barrel having also a plurality of channels of varioussizes adapted to be separately and selectively brought intocommunication with the water-receiving chamber, one of said channelsbeing associated with each of said diaphragms, and means for varying thesize of the water-receiving chamber in proportion to the rate of inflowof the water.

10. In a firing gear for depth mines, the combination with awater-pressure-operated detonator, of a water-receiving chamberassociated therewith, a barrel disposed between the chamber and thedetonator actuating mechanism, a series of diaphragms of variousresistances mounted in said barrel and adapted to be separately andselectively moved to separate the chamber and the detonator actuatingmechanism, said barrel having also a plurality .of channels of varioussizes adapted to be separately and selectively brought intocommunication with the water-receiving chamber, one of said channelsbeing associated with each of said diaphragms, and a spring actuatedpiston for varying the size of the water-receiving chamber.

11. In a firing gear for depth mines, the combination with awater-pressure operated detonator, of a water-receiving chamberassociated therewith, a frangible diaphragm disposed between the chamberand the detonator actuating mechanism, the gear having a plurality ofwater inlet channels of various sizes adapted to be separately andselectively brought into communication with the water-receiving chamber,a movable piston operable in said water-receiving chamber, and aperforated element disposed between the diaphragm and said chamber.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

